Pak-American jailed for 24 years for al-Qaeda links

A Pakistani American youth has been jailed for 24-years in California for training in an al-Qaeda terror camp, a year after his conviction.

Washington, Sept 11 : A Pakistani American youth has been jailed for 24-years in California for training in an al-Qaeda terror camp, a year after his conviction.

FBI agents arrested Hamid Hayat, 25, in June 2005 after he returned to California from an extended stay in Pakistan.

He confessed to attending al-Qaeda run terror camps in Pakistan for approximately six months in 2003 and 2004, after he flunked a lie-detector test.

He also admitted that his main motive for returning to California was to carry out terror strikes in California, targeting hospitals and supermarkets.

Hayat, a US citizen, belongs to a 2,500-strong Pakistani community in Lodi, near California, which is best known for farming and wine growing. He was arrested as part of investigations that were launched in the wake of 9/11 to discover whether businesses in the region were funnelling cash to overseas terror groups.

He could have been jailed for up to 39 years, following his conviction, but was given a 24-year sentence after the judge took into account that it was Hayat's first offence.

"The sentence handed down to Hamid Hayat demonstrates the very real consequences for those who train overseas for jihad against the United States," The News quoted Kenneth Wainstein, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, as saying.

ANI